Suction cleaner



Dec. l0, 1940. I J. A. WHITAKER 224,205

" sUcTIoN CLEANER' Filedqply 18, 193s ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 10,1940 y y v2,224,205

UNITED STATES 4PATENT OFFICE sUc'rIoN CLEANER Uncas A. Whitaker, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application July 1s, 193s, seria1`No.219,722

1o claims. (ci. 23o-117)' This invention relates to suction cleaners in groove 40 the outer side of which provides a seat general and in particular to a new and novel fan for the stator frame 26 of the motor. v The back labyrinth for preventing accumulation' of dirt at 4I of the fan 29 is shaped in a new and novel the back of the fan. manner, its peripheral edge being formed with It is an object of the present invention to proa shallow circular flange or rim '42 which extends 5 Videv a new and improved suction cleaner conupwardly to the entrance o f the labyrinth groove struction. Another object is to provide aself 40 to the planeof the inner portion 34 of the cleaning fan labyrinth. A further object is to llabyrinth plate'24. A curved surface 45 is proprovide a fan labyrinth for a suction cleaner and vided between the fan ange 42 and the back 4I having means for preventing. lthe accumulation of the fan to provide a gradual arcuate slope bethereinof dirt removed from the floor covering tween the upper rim of the fan flange 42 and being cleaned. Other objects and advantages of the fan back 4I. A pin or lug 43 is provided in the invention will be apparent from the specithe fan ange 42 and extends upwardly from the cation and drawing, wherein: latter a short distance, the top 44 of the pin 43 Figure 1 is a side elevational view partly broken being spaced a relatively great distance from the l5 away to illustrate one embodiment of the invenupper -and side walls of the labyrinth groove 4B.

tion; It has heretofore been the practice to provide Figure l2 is an enlarged sectional view of the the fan with an annular flange which projects fan labyrinth construction shown in Figure 1; into substantially the full lengthof the labyrinth 20 Figure 3 is a sectional view of another embodigroove. This construction permitted small bers 20 ment of the invention and, and'other foreign material to accumulate be- Figure 4 is a bottom View of Figure 3,. tween the back of the fan and the motor bot- Refeiring to Figure 1, an-embodiment of the tom plate, and also to accumulate in the labyinvention is shown employed in a suction cleaner rinth groove. The accumulated foreign material which comprises a main casing l0 having a nozt .formed frictional surfaces which acted as a 25 zle II and a fan casing I2 defining a fan chambrake on the motor and eventually stalled the ber I3 having an inlet I4 communicating with latter. the nozzle Il through an air passageway l5 de- Now referring to the labyrinth construction in` fined by the main casing IB and a removable Figure 2 it will be seen that dirt will not accucover plate iE. The fan chamber I3 communimulate in the labyrinth groove 40 or at the 3o cateswith an exhaust passage l'l which discurved surface 45 of the fan since the pin 43 rocharges into a dust bag I8 removably secured to tates in the labyrinth groove 4b to dislodge the the casing IU by a pair ofy nut and bolt connecfelting therefrom, and the curved surface d5 on tions I9. The cleaner is support/ed on front and the back of the fan 29 is of such a contour that' 3:, rear wheels 2U and 2| respectively; the4 rear the centrifugal force developed due to rotation of 43l; wheels being provided with height adjusting the fan causes any dirt thereon to be discharged means 22 which function to raise and lower the radially Off 0f the fan back il into the labyrinth nozzle relative to the surface being cleaned. gIOOVe Where it iS removed by the pill 3, and

Secured to the upper rim 23 of the fan casing since the ange d2 is shallow the dirt cannot 40 I2 is a plate 24 which closes the upper end of pack tightly but S fragile and breaks away flOm a@ the fan chamber I3, and a gasket 25 is interposed the fan back 4I should it rub against the botbetween the plate 2B and the fan casing rim 23 tom plate 34. Accordingly, no additional load is tov prevent leakage of air from the fan chamber placed on the motor. I3. A stator frame 2li of an electric motor is se- Another embodiment of the invention is shownV cured by screws 21 to the plate 24 which funcin Figures 3 and 4 and is adapted to be em- @5 tions as the bottom plate of the motor, and arployed rin the suction cleaner shown in Figure .1. ,ranged `around the latter is a housing 28 secured This embodiment comprises a motor bottom plate to the rim 23 of the fan casing I2. Attached 60 having portions in different horizontal planes, to the armature shaft is a fan 29 and a pulley the outer portion 6l being below the plane of the 3B which carries a belt 3l extending to anagitainner portion 62. Formed in thel plate 3l) isa 50 tor 32 rotatably mounted in the nozzle' il. labyrinth groove 63 having a peripheral edge tl In order to form a fan labyrinth the motor merging with the outer portion 6I and another bottom plate 24 has an outer portion 33 and an peripheral edge 65 merging with the inner portion inner.- portion 34 arranged in different horizontal 62 of the plate 60. I

planes, and formed therebetween is a labyrinth Rotatable with respect to the labyrinth plate 55 flange 1I which is of such height as to extend SU is a centrifugal fan '10 having a peripheral upwardly to the entrance to the labyrinth groove 53 to the plane of the inner portion 62 of the labyrinth plate 60, and isl spaced al relatively large distance from the deiining walls of the labyrinth groove 6,3. A smooth curved surface i3 is provided between the fan iiange 'il 'and the back 14 of the fan 10, whereby any dirt on the back of the fan will be discharged therefrom due to the centrifugal force developed by rotation of the fan and due to-the low height of the ange 1i, and the dirt Will pass along the annular curved surface 13 and the flange 'H out of the labyrinth groove 63. v v

In order to clean and prevent felting from accumulating in the labyrinth groove $3 and dirt from packing between the fan back *HLand the bottom plate 60 a strip ofmetal 15 is Welded to the stationary bottom plate 60. lThis litter clearing member 15 is elongated and extends to the entrance of the labyrinth groove 63 and opposite a portion of the back 14 of the fan 10, to thereby remove and prevent accumulation of foreign matter in the labyrinth groove 63 land between the :fan and bottom plate B.

lFrom the foregoing it will be perceived that my invention provides `a. labyrinth cleaningv mechanism and prevents accumulation of foreign matter between the fan and the motor bottom plate, and accordingly, prevents dirt from entering any motor bearings atthe back of the fan on the armature shaft.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner, means dening a fan chamber, means defining .a channel in said fan chamber defining means and open to said fan chamber, a fan in said fan chamber, a motor for rotating said fan, and means depending from said fan chamber defining means and disposed at the entrance to the opening of said channel to prevent the accumulation of dirt in said channel.

2. In a suction cleaner, means defining a fan chamber, means defining a channel in said fan chamber defining means and open to said fan chamber, a fan in said fan chamber, a motor for rotating said fan, and means depending from said fan chamber defining means and disposed at the entrance to the opening of said channel and along the back of said fan yfor preventing the accumulation of dirt in said channel and between said fan chamber defining means and the back of said fan.

3. Inl a fan casing defining a fan chamber, means defining one end of said fan chamber and having a circular channel open to said fan chamber, a centrifugal fan in said fan chamber and adapted to be rotated therein, and pin means upstanding from the back of saidcentrifugal fan and disposed at the entrance to the opening of said channel and adapted to be rotated with said aaaaaoa end of said fan chamber and disposed at the entrance to the opening of said channel and between the back of said centrifugal fan and the means defining said one end of said fan chamber to prevent the acciunulation of dirt in said channel and between said fan back and said one end of said fan chamber.

5'. In a fan casing forming a fan chamber, means defining one end of said fan chamber and having a circular channel open to said fan chamber, a fan having a wall and disposed in said fan chamber and adapted to be rotated therein, a shallow rim onsaid fan wall and disposed at the entrance to said channel, means defining a curved surface extending from the upper extreme end of said rim to the wall of said fan, and a pin projecting from said rim into said channel.

6. In a fan casing forming a fan chamber,l means defining one end of said fan chamber and having a circular channel open to said fan. chamber, a fan disposed in said fan chamber and adapted to be rotated therein, a rim on said fan and disposed at theentra-nce to said channel, and a pin projecting from saidrim into said channel.

7.' In a fan casing forming a fan chamber,

. means defining one Aend of' said fanchamber and having a circular channel open to said fan chamber, a fan having a wall and disposed in saidv fan chamber and adapted to be rotated therein, a shallow rim on said fan wall and disposed at the entrance to said channel, and means defining a curved surfacev extending from the upper extreme end of said rim to the wall of said fan.

v8. In a fan casing forming a fan chamber, means defining one end of said fan chamber and having a circular channel open to said fan chamber, a fan in said fan'chamber and adapted to be rotated therein, .and pin means projecting from said fan and disposed in said channel to remove foreign material from said channel when said fan is rotated, said pin means providing substantially point contact with the foreign material to remove the' latter from said channel.

9. In a Vfan casing defining a fan` chamber. means defining a. wall of said fan chamber and .having a circular channelnpen to said fan chamber, a fan in said fan chamber and adapted to be rotated therein, -an upstanding flange on said fan'disposed at the entrance to said channel, and means interposed between said channel and said fiange, said means projecting into said channel for removing foreign material therefrom.

10. In a-fan casing defining a fan chamber.

means defining a wall of said fan chamber and having a circular channel open to said fan chamber, said wall having inner and outer portions offset in different planes at opposite sides of said channel to define the entrance to the latter, a fan in said fan chamber and adapted to be rotated therein, and an upstanding ange on said fan disposed at said entrance to said channel, said outer offset portion of said fan wall enclosing said flange and said inner offset portion of said fan wall being substantlally'in the same plane as the extreme end of said flange to prevent accumulation of dirt between said fan p chamber wall and fan.

UNCAS A. WHITAKER. 

